Stamm-Komp.Pi.E.u.A..Btl.16 EKM (Ardennes)

The dog tag or 'Erkennungsmarke' shows normal signs of wear. The bataillon was formed in April 1940 in Thorn as Pionier Ersatz Bataillon 16. It fell under Division 156. It trained and delivered soldiers for different Pionier bataillons and Minier-Pionier-Bataillone 750. On 10 April 1943 the Ersatz and Ausbildungs bataillons where combined and named Pionier Ersatz und Ausbildungs Bataillon 16. It consisted out of 4 Ausbildungs kompanien and a Stamm-, Marsch- und Genesenden-Kompanie. In December 1944 the whole bataillon was used to form the Heeres-Pionier-Bataillon 756. It was put into action in the Ardennes in the Eifel area as part of Heeresgruppe B. The 'O' on both parts of the tag stands for the bloodtype of the soldier.
A Stammkompanie was a unit that trained the soldiers. Often the soldiers of this kompanie were soldiers who had frontline experience and/or where no longer fully usable on the front due to injuries. Of course this changed later in the war and they also where put into action as there was a shortage of (front)soldiers.